Dr. Ballantyne, commonly referred to as Dr. B., had the appearance of a gruff person but he was admired by many. From his humble beginnings in Albia, Iowa and dropping out of school when he was 15 years old, he understood hard work and the…
After Dr. Ballantyne's untimely death, Ira Larson was called upon to lead Kirkwood Community College as Interim President at a time when the college community was grieving the lost of their previous leader and to give the Board time to search for a…
Ira Larson, left, with Dr. Bill Stewart, center, and Board President, B. A. Jensen, right. The occasion is likely when Dr. Stewart was presented as the second president of Kirkwood Community College.
After a national search, Kirkwood hired it's second leader, Bill F. Stewart from Anchorage Community College in Alaska where he served as president. He assumed duties on July 1, 1978.
Dr. Norm Nielsen captured the attention of Kirkwood's Board of Trustees when he was part of Dr. Stewart's administration. The former high school teacher climbed the ranks in secondary education prior to joining the Kirkwood staff in 1979 as…
Dr. Norm Nielsen was the longest-tenured chief officer in the college's history. In a 20-year span he along with Trustee Wayne Newton and the wider community embraced the concept of business and industry partnerships. Through this ongoing effort,…
Following his graduation from University of Northern Iowa, Dr. Mick Starcevich taught math for five years before assuming administrative positions . First as a principle and later as a superintendent at nearby College Community Schools. Mick came…
Under Dr. Starcevich's leadership, innovation and partnerships continued or expanded. A few notable accomplishments in his 12 1/2-year tenure are: the construction of The Hotel (one of two teaching hotels in the country); construction of a wind…
